New Online Training Available for Primary Teachers By Walter Cooley, Church Magazines New interactive training is available to help Primary teachers and leaders teach children reverence and appropriate behavior in Primary. The new training is presented online in six slide shows. The lessons provide suggestions for overcoming common behavior concerns many Primary teachers face. Topics covered by the training include dealing with disruptive and inattentive students, setting rules for acceptable Primary behavior, caring for students with special needs, responding positively to negative behaviors, talking to disruptive children, and using ward resources to encourage reverence. Each lesson uses a real-life scenario to describe suggested approaches to teaching appropriate behavior. For example, one segment shares Sister Pond's approaches to dealing with a disruptive student. Sister Pond learns that teaching Primary means becoming an example to the children as well as teaching lessons. Viewers watch as Sister Pond obeys promptings from the Spirit to enhance preparation for her lesson and prayers for her students. The online training pauses several times to ask viewers how they would respond to Sister Pond's situation. Another lesson describes Brother Long's frustration with students in his Primary class who don't pay attention to his lessons. Viewers learn from Brother Long's experience how to recognize the learning characteristics of a particular age group. Brother Long then applies this knowledge to better understand how to teach his class. The lesson then asks viewers to propose how to teach a gospel principle using activities appropriate for a child's age. The training is presented with video and audio clips. Other interactive features include printable application questions, practice scenarios, interactive dialogues, and tables and charts with suggestions for teaching about behavior. Every lesson concludes by asking viewers what similar types of behavior situations they face in their Primary classrooms and how they can apply the lesson's suggestions to improve classroom behavior. Each interactive lesson can be viewed online and lasts about 10 to 15 minutes. To access the lessons, go to www.lds.org/pa/display/0,17884,5812-1,00.html.